The reliability of any building depends on the foundation. It must have the characteristics of strength and resistance to external influences. The blind area at the same time protects the base, diverting melt and rainwater. It has one more function - it acts as a convenient concrete path around the building.
The need for insulation of the blind area and foundation
If the house was built in an area with heaving soil, then insulation of the blind area and foundation is recommended. These manipulations can eliminate the problems expressed in the destruction of the walls. If you do not carry out thermal insulation of the named components of the building, then the heat will leave the space of the premises, condensation will form on the walls, leading to the formation of fungus and mold.
Some home masters believe that there is no need to warm the blinds and foundations if they do not live in the house year-round. But this is not the case for several reasons. The first of them is that, as a rule, country houses do not have such an impressive weight, the force of frost heaving raises and lowers the base, leading to cracking. Over time, these small errors can cause the complete destruction of the building.
Why you should choose polystyrene foam
Warming of the blind area and the foundation by means of expanded polystyrene has gained quite wide popularity. This heat insulator is characterized by zero capillarity, mechanical strength and low water absorption. This insulation is environmentally friendly and demonstrates a long lifespan.
Work on the thermal insulation of the blind areas should be carried out by laying the sheets of material in one layer. It is recommended to use sheets with a thickness of 100 mm. However, an alternative solution can be applied: installation of sheets of 50 mm in two layers. The process will not be accompanied by too much labor. It is important to remember that a waterproofing polyethylene, which has an impressive density, should be laid on top of the styrofoam layer. It can be a glider or isostuda. Such manipulations are necessary to protect the joints of the insulation.
Preparatory work
Warming of the blind area and basement for houses that are heated in the winter, although it may not be done, but recommended. In order to protect the base, a trench should be dug around it, the depth of which is 30 cm. You have to get rid of the root systems of plants, if you ignore this rule, the sprouted grass will destroy the blind area. According to the technology, the width of the trench is equivalent to the depth of freezing of the soil, but, as a rule, this indicator is made equal to the width of the heat insulator sheet, that is, about 100 cm. This will reduce the amount of waste material. It is necessary to dig in such a way that the trench adjoins the house.
Backfill
Sand should be laid at the bottom, the layer thickness of which is 10-15 cm. The resulting pillow must be well shed with water and compacted. This is followed by a 10 cm layer of rubble, which must also be tamped. Only now it is possible to install a heater, if necessary, then a reinforcing mesh is mounted on top of it.
Technology of thermal insulation
The space between the insulation sheets and the walls of the building must be filled with polyurethane foam, which has the qualities of moisture resistance and is designed for outdoor work.
At the edge of the trench, formwork should be installed, which should be based on the board. The structure should be given a height equal to 10 cm above the soil surface. This is necessary in order to fill the solution, providing with it a slope of 10% of the walls of the building. If a concrete mixture is used, then every 2.5 m you need to make temperature seams that are made of vinyl flexible tape, you can replace it with thin rails. As soon as the mixture begins to gain strength, you will have to get rid of the pieces of wood. The resulting seam should be filled using liquid glass or hard-melting bitumen, poured in a hot state. You can leave the boards in concrete, but it is recommended that they be treated with bitumen mastic. If asphalt is used instead of concrete, then there is no need to make temperature seams.
The hardening of concrete indicates the possibility of ironing the surface, for this, as a rule, plaster coatings are used.
A drainage should be arranged along the edge of the blind area. This can be done by laying asbestos-cement pipes close to the blind area, for which a layer of sand or gravel is previously prepared. Ø100 mm pipes must be cut in advance along the halves in advance.
Foundation thermal insulation
Warming of the blind area and the foundation is carried out almost according to the same technology. If the house is deprived of a blind area, then initially the foundation is dug, its surface is freed from the soil. The trench should have a width of 1 m. Next, the base is put in order, its integrity is checked, cracks are eliminated.
Insulation of the foundation and the blind area with penoplex involves the implementation of waterproofing. To do this, you can use roofing material, which is laid after the surface is lubricated with mastic.
The insulation is fixed by two types of fasteners. In the lower area, the heat insulator can be glued to the mastic, while in the upper zone it should be strengthened with thermal dowels. This will eliminate damage to the waterproofing, which protects the system from groundwater. It is necessary to start fixing sheets from the corner of the building. As soon as the laying of the first layer of insulation has been completed, you can begin to fix the second. It is also worth starting from the corner, however, the first sheet should be cut in half, this will ensure the dressing of the seams.
Warming of the foundation, basement, blind areas with polystyrene foam is very effective. This allows you to extend the life of the materials at the base of the walls of the building. When thermal insulation of the foundation, the final row of insulation should be fixed using thermal dowels. However, they have to pre-prepare the holes. About 4-5 units of fasteners will need to be spent on one canvas. The locks of the door locks are protected by cold bitumen. In the area of corners, the walls of the foundation should be treated with an additional layer of insulation.
The basement of the building
The blind area around the house with insulation of the foundation with your own hands will be well protected, but at the last stage you will have to finish the basement. For this, expanded polystyrene sheets must be coated with a non-combustible material. Cement or facade plaster can act as such. It must be used in tandem with a reinforcing mesh. If you want to get a basement of a more attractive appearance, then it can be laid out using bricks.
Tools and materials
If you do not want to face the premature need for repairing the base, then you should make the foundation thermal insulation and thermal insulation of the blind area. We protect the foundation of the house by preparing some of the following tools and materials:
- sand;
- shovel;
- insulation;
- crushed stone;
- polyurethane foam;
- vinyl flexible tape;
- plaster.
Disadvantages of warming with expanded polystyrene
Do-it-yourself warming of the foundation and the blind areas by means of expanded polystyrene requires the use of non-combustible materials. This is due to the fact that the described insulator is afraid of the effects of fire. It has one more drawback: warming the blind area and the foundation with polystyrene foam can attract rodents to the system. But this question can be resolved by installing a reinforcing mesh. Due to the fact that expanded polystyrene is capable of absorbing moisture, it can collapse over time, which will negate the implementation of insulation work. That is why, especially in areas where groundwater is close, the structure will have to be waterproofed with high quality. It is worth paying attention to the fact that the material does not have too much mechanical strength, this indicates the need to be careful when carrying out backfill with soil. Soil often has solid inclusions. In order to prevent damage to the paintings, it is necessary to protect them with steel shields.
It is recommended to carry out work on warming the foundation and blind areas before the onset of cold weather. Thus, although it will not be possible to create a house that will differ in less impressive heating costs, you will be sure that on the basis of the building there will be no cracks, and the inner surface of the walls will not be covered with putrefactive formations and mold. You can use other insulation materials for the process, but before you purchase them, you need to familiarize yourself with their qualities and features of the work.